I wanted to take some time in this month’s blog to address questions we’ve been getting about “mRNA vaccines” being used in livestock.

If you’ve been following social media, you may have seen conflicting information which has been causing a lot of confusion and fear.

Have you seen what I’m talking about?

Some say this new vaccine technology is no big deal but others are very concerned.

Could mRNA potentially be used in our food to change us — without our permission? Could lettuce or milk from the grocery store become a vaccine? They are working on this very thing and it is alarming, to say the least.

As farmers responsible for creating food for your table, we want to equip you with information so that you can make informed decisions about what’s best for your family.

After all, knowing your farmer and how they create food for your family is the answer to getting the food you trust.

Here are a few things to consider when it comes to this topic.

1. What we know about mRNA vaccines for livestock.

• Currently, the pork industry uses mRNA vaccines in confinement pigs
• mRNA stands for “messenger RiboNucleic Acid” and is a single-stranded molecule that carries instructions to make new proteins (like the “spike protein” you may have heard about)
• There are no mRNA beef or dairy vaccines that are approved at this time
• A Chinese lab found mRNA added to cow’s milk could successfully “vaccinate” mice who consume the milk

2. What to do about mRNA vaccines being potentially used in food production.

As we mentioned above, knowing your farmer and where your food comes from will be the only long-term solution to questionable food production methods. While mRNA vaccines are not widely used in livestock — yet — it may become more of an issue in the future. Continue to ask questions and learn about how healthy animals should be raised (hint: it should include lots of sunshine and grassy pastures!)

3. Does Bartlett Farms vaccinate or use mRNA technology in our animals?

The answer is a resounding, NO!

We have not and never will resort to this gene-altering technology. We also do not use conventional vaccines in any of our chicks, hogs, or cattle because we don’t believe it’s necessary for healthy and disease-resistant livestock.

In over 15 years of raising animals, we have NEVER given vaccines of any kind to any of our livestock. Instead, we use a much more holistic approach that creates natural immunity and disease resistance. More on that in the next blog post.

Conclusion:

While mRNA vaccine technology is new and becoming more common to be used in livestock production it is not something to fear contaminating food in the grocery store — yet.

Only by building a relationship with farmers and local businesses who are dedicated to purity can you be sure you’re getting what you want to feed your family.

In the next post, I’ll share how we keep our animals healthy and disease-resistant without using vaccines, chemical dewormers, or antibiotics.

Watch for the next post to find out how we do it!